Mind Whispers

Auspicious Colors during CNY 2010

Everyone is preparing for the 2010 Chinese New Year celebration!

2010 新年快乐 Happy New Year

有些梦发了很多年，是时候醒了
有些事等了很多年，是时候做了
有些人等了很多年，是时候忘了
有些坏习惯做了很多年，是时候戒了
关心你的人，要感激；不关心你的人，要祝福，其他的人，随缘，还有什么漏了，迟些才加！

Bright up Your Spirit in Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival Nov 2009

On 31st Oct 2009, i went to ChiangMai for its blue sky, colorful flora, smiling people and Loy Krathong (Yee Peng) festival. Online album

We were there for the Yee Peng festival, where there were floating lanterns on the river as well as floating ballons (lanterns) into the sky. The unexpected things were the noisy explosive firecraker and smell of kerosene. Another unexpected was that we have missed the massive floating of floating balloon into the sky. It was held a week before the Yee Peng day, which was on 24th Oct. I hope the CM municipal office can make that announcement earlier in the future.

Suggested daily itinerary for Chiang Mai:

Wat Pratat Doi Suthep, to pay respect to local the GOD first (prayer == $$) . The road uphill is quite windy. On the same route: Phuping Palace, Hmong Village
Chiang Mai Zoo in the morning and Bo Sang & Kamphaeng craftworks in the afternoon
Mae Sa elephant > Queens Botanical Garden > Orchid farm
Royal Floral Ratchapreuk > Night Safari

Activities:

Celebrate Loy Krathong/Yee Peng together with the local people at Thapae Gate and along Ping River. The municipal office for the celebration is located near our hotel.
Tracking
Tribe hill visit: Aka, Lisu, Karen and Long Neck. Some are not genuine long neck people as they are modernized and subsidized by the government for tourist 'display'.
Market visit: Night Bazaar for western style and Warorot Market for Chinese/Thai style
Spa/massage. We went for 2 sessions of Thai body massage, SYOK! 200 Baht for an hour (exclude tip). Can try the Garden Chiang Mai along the Thapae road inside of the wall. Ask for senior aunties as they are more experience.
Have a luxury kantoke dinner with dancing performance.

Money:
Flight xxx + Hotel xxx + Others +
Food & transport & entrance fee in Chiang Mai only = 3400 Baht (rough estimation of RM340)

Hotel:
The hotel was REALLY a value for the price, we paid RM20 per room (twin beds with free wifi in room, 2 bottles of water, free toast bread for breakfast and best of all, the location is near Chinatown and Ping River for Yee Peng celebration. Walking to Tapae Gate and Night Bazaar is slightly away but not far...and the place is clean and quiet for sleeping). Name of the hotel, New Mitrapap Hotel in Chiang Moi (China Town). Book online.

Book Reading - The 4 Hour Work Week (Timothy Ferriss)

Another book from a friend. Not sure i should read more, haha...cos Albert Einstein said:

Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking

This book is about:
"Forget the old concept of retirement and saving for the future - there is no need to wait and every reason not do. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing first class world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with no management, or just living more and working less, this book is the blueprint."

Suggested step-by-step to 'reinvent' yourself:

Definition - 'new rich' lifestyle
Elimination of the unimportant, increase per hour results, selective ignorance, low info diet, etc. Result is to get be rich in time and how to accomplish more by doing less.
"Doing something unimportant well does not make it important & Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important"
"Being busy is a form of laziness- lazy thinking and indiscriminate action"
Automation for more time and income.
Refine rules and processes before adding people.
"Using people to leverage a refined process multiplies production; using people as a solution to a poor process multiplies problems"
Liberation for mobility, mini retirement, remote control and 'escaping' the boss, haha!

Nikon vs Canon - SLR

Many friends asked me this question: Should i choose Canon or Nikon camera?

I have no answer, frankly. Both have good camera & lens. If you are newly investing in SLR, my suggestion is to personally hold the SLR, play with it and decide which one you like. Canon has more lens options and is comparatively cheaper while Nikon has good history of lens compatibility & quality.

I am not favoring any side in sharing my choice. To me, i like something simple and as little lens as possible (more options does not mean better), i choose Nikon. I have limited budget and my D40 serves me well (my collections: standard kit lens is great + telephoto + prime lens). What i need is just a beginner SLR with good quality and reliable lens. If your aim is to shoot prof sports events or to build a huge collection of lens. Maybe, Canon is your choice.

Agian, why Nikon:
1. I did try both models before buying (to be fair, search online for comparable Nikon and Canon models to try): Nikon gives me reliable quality, Canon just shoot everything
2. I have limited budget and D40 comes with a great standard kit lens which serve me well as a beginner. And...i dun't want a heavy SLR. I can only invest in cheap body but expensive lens SLOWLY.
3. Not all Nikon lens work on Canon but almost all Canon lens work on Nikon body (this is what the Canon salesman told me). Not a problem to me, i normally stick to the same manufacturer, some more Nikon is reliable in compatibility issue.
4. My interests is to shoot daily, not prof photographing for National Geography nor sports journal.

No bias, these are other comments found on Nikon VS Canon SLR:

Check out some debates on this topic:
http://www.macworld.com/article/131467/2008/01/debate.html